Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Eric Abetz, the Minister representing the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Will the minister update the Senate on the effect of the Howard government’s policies on employment in this country? Is the minister aware of any alternative policies?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In answering, can I acknowledge Senator Barnett’s commitment to jobs growth in this country, especially through the small business sector. The driving force of the Howard government’s policies has been to grow job opportunities for our fellow Australians. Strong economic management, workplace reform, waterfront reform, tax reform and now further workplace reform with Work Choices are all aimed at job creation—and all were opposed by those opposite. Let me be clear: the strong employment growth this country has experienced over the past 10 years has not happened by accident. The creation of 1.9 million new jobs has not occurred by accident. It is not through sheer accident that the unemployment rate is now at a 30-year low, at 4.8 per cent, having peaked under Labor at 10.9 per cent. And it is not through sheer accident that, after oscillating between five and 5.3 per cent for 23 months, following the introduction of Work Choices the unemployment level finally broke through the five per cent barrier and is now at 4.8 per cent.

In fact, since Work Choices was introduced, a massive 159,000 new jobs have been created. The ALP and the union movement falsely predicted that Work Choices would bring mass sackings; instead, we have got mass employment growth. The difference could not be starker. But this employment growth is now being threatened—threatened by the person who, as employment minister in 1992, described an unemployment rate of 10.3 per cent as ‘heartening’. Can you believe that—10.3 per cent, more than double the current rate, was heartening? I wonder who said that. I will give those opposite a clue. It was the same person who, when he was finance minister in 1994, said of interest rates at 9.5 per cent—that is fully 50 per cent higher than now:

... I point out that this is still a very low interest rate regime in Australian historical standards.

There is still silence from those opposite, so I will give them another clue: it is their current leader. It was of course Mr Beazley, the would-be Prime Minister.

Labor have continually chanted the mantra that Work Choices is extreme. I confess that the Labor Party have worn me down on this one. I happen to agree that Work Choices is extreme—extremely effective, with the creation of 159,000 new jobs. We as a government have 159,000 reasons to say to the Australian people why we believe Work Choices is so extremely effective.

Those opposite can continue to be the peddlers of doom, and moan and groan, but the simple fact is: whilst they are running their false campaigns against Work Choices, we are going about the task of growing employment. There are now 159,000 people in Australia that have personally benefited from Work Choices. What I suggest to Mr Beazley and the Labor Party is that they get with the program and support those workers, because when you drive through Canberra airport and you see Mr Beazley saying, ‘I’ll rip up these laws,’ what he is saying is, ‘I will rip up the 159,000 new jobs that have been created since Work Choices was put in place.’ (Time expired)